Pray for our son, says Phil Walsh's wife

As AFL luminaries mourned slain coach Phil Walsh, his grieving wife had one message: pray for the son charged with killing his father.

While about 1000 people remembered Walsh at a memorial service on Wednesday as a genius of his sport, his wife Meredith asked for a prayer for son Cy, who allegedly stabbed his dad to death on July 3.

Adelaide Crows chaplain Mark Purcell told the service that Meredith requested guests to join in prayer for Cy, who is detained in a secure psychiatric facility.

"Come to him in his time of need. Watch over him and bring peace to his heart," Purcell said.

"And sustain this dear family in their grief as you comfort them, and help them to move forward with the determination that Phil was renowned for."

Meredith Walsh and 22-year-old daughter Quinn attended but didn't speak directly to the service at Adelaide Oval which was attended by other family members, AFL dignitaries, coaches and players.

The service was told that the day before his death, Walsh was restless.

The 55-year-old had telephoned close friend Brandon Chaplin, the chaplain of his former AFL club Port Adelaide.

"Phil called me on his last full day alive ... he was unsettled, restless, disturbed. He wanted to catch up with me face-to-face," Chaplin told the service.

"It was to be my last conversation with him. He was gone that night."

Walsh was hailed for his AFL achievements - a "dead-set genius", according to long-time friend and coaching colleague Mark Williams - but also remembered as a father who just wanted his children to be happy.

Walsh spoke earlier this year of a disconnect with his son, a point touched on by Williams in his videotaped eulogy.

"So what next? Well, who really knows?" Williams said.

"To Meredith and Quinn, we're all here for you and love you and support you in anything you need.

"To the rest of us, we need to be inspired by Phil, be driven like Phil. But remember to take time for each other and take time for your loved ones."

Walsh was in his first year as Adelaide coach and a "key factor" in taking the job was ensuring a secure financial future for his family, friend Sharon Watt told the service.

Watt, whose husband grew up with Walsh, the youngest of seven children, in Hamilton, Victoria, said Walsh had the public image of a complex man.

"But to his family and friends, there was nothing overly complex about Phil," Watt told the service.

"In essence he was a simple man with simple values and priorities. It was the simple things in life that brought him the most pleasure.

"Family meant everything to Phil. Mem (Meredith), Cy and Quinn were his number one priorities in his life.

"Phil was proud of Cy and Quinn. That pride, as well as his unconditional love, was evident to all. And he just wanted his kids to be happy."